Meerapalli

Mosque in Puducherry, India

11°55′41″N 79°49′48″E / 11.928°N 79.830°E / 11.928; 79.830ArchitectureTypeMosqueStyleIslamic,Minaret(s)2

Meerapalli (Tamil:மீராபள்ளி), (French:Mirapalli) is the oldest standing mosque of Pondicherry. It was constructed during the first quarter of the 18th century.^[1]

History of Pondicherry Muslims

The renowned Arab navigator, Sulaiman Al Mahri, mentions the port of Bandikeri during the later part of 15th century or the first part of 16th century along the Coromandel coast, which is identified as Pondicherry in later days.^[2] A Muslim settlement was already there.

Structure

The mosque was originally built along the lines of the Indo-Islamic architecture. The Old structure has survived around which new extensions have been constructed.

References

^ Plan des ville et fort Louis de Pondichéry par M. Denyon de 1716, http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b55005623v/f1.item.r=pondicherry, Retrieved 2 April 2018
^ "Why the ancient site of Arikamedu can't be identified with Pondicherry". The Times of India. 8 November 2015. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 July 2023.